Boost your binge
GRAB THE REMOTE AND PUT YOUR FEET UP WITH THESE VIDEO STREAMING TIPS AND TRICKS.
MORE AND MORE Australians are ditching free-to-air TV and cable for streaming services. Netflix is still the leader, with over half of the market, but competitor Stan has around 25%. There are also loads of other streaming options, TV catch up services, not to mention content giants such as YouTube. And while generally very easy to use, there are loads of ways to bring your streaming experience to the next level.
Netflix
With a growing collection of excellent, self-produced TV shows, Netflix is must-have when streaming. Most modern TV’s include a Netflix app, which can be used with your existing remote control. But for those with an older TV, finding the right Netflix-capable media player can be a bit of chore. Our favourite options, such as the Roku lineup, are not officially sold in Australia. Apple TV is a decent, if somewhat underdeveloped player, and the Chromecast is a very flexible and affordable option.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
Knowing the speed of your connection and planning accordingly is very important with Netflix. For example, we rarely see 4K content streaming properly, even on a very fast NBN connection, due to other speed bottlenecks between our TV and the Netflix servers. Netflix actually has a speed test ( fast.com) that connects to their own servers, so gives a more accurate idea than the more generic tests. Make sure to test in peak times (such as the evening) to account for congestion. You need at least 5Mbps to stream in HD, and 25Mbps for 4K video — and that is per account watching.
PROFILES, PLANS AND USERS
For $10 a month, the basic Netflix plan only streams SD to a single device. Upgrade to standard for $14 and you get HD and streaming to two devices, while for $18, you get 4K video (where available) and up to four devices watching at once. Being able to stream to multiple screens at once is a great way for a family to enjoy their own shows, or even share your Netflix account with a family member. But to improve the experience, make sure everyone has their own profile within the account. This keeps your recently watched list to your own shows, and avoids getting unwanted recommendations. It’s also great for parents wanting to make a locked-down kid’s profile. Profiles are most easily edited by accessing your account at Netflix.com, under Account.
THUMB IT
Netflix uses a simple thumbs up and down system to rate content, but also learns what you like through your watching habits. It can be pretty accurate, too, but making sure to actually vote on everything you watch can really improve
the suggestions. Netflix also keeps a log of what you have watched, under ‘Account > My Profile > Viewing Activity’. It’s not just about looking ashamedly at your binge watching habits — any show can be deleted from the log. Selecting the Rating tab on the My Activity page also lets you easily view, change or delete your previous ratings.
OFFLINE WATCHING
For those wanting to watch Netflix on their next plane trip, or just on the train without chewing up mobile data, there is a download option. It only works on the Netflix Android, iOS and Windows 10 apps, and not all content is actually available for download. Just look for the little down arrow (download) icon, or select ‘Available for Download’ from the app menu. You can choose the quality it’s saved at, and they can be selected for playback under My Downloads. The content has varied expiry times once downloaded, and can be manually deleted by selecting Edit (top right).
OVERSEAS CONTENT
Thanks to varied licensing, Netflix content varies around the world, and we miss out on loads of great shows here in Australia. It’s a bit of a grey area, and against the terms and conditions, but it’s possible to use a VPN or Smart DNS service to access shows from a country of choice. Our favourite is getflix ( www.getflix.com.au), which can cost as little as $3 a month. It has a two-week free trial as well, so is easy to test without any outlay.
OTHER TIPS, TRICKS AND WEBSITES
There are some handy options hidden in the Netflix menu and help files, so it’s well worth exploring. Subtitle size, colour, font and more can be changed in your profile settings. On computer, keyboard shortcuts can make life easier — F enables full screen, Esc to exit full screen, Space pauses and plays, M mutes, Shift-Left or Right Arrow fast forwards or rewinds. In your profile, under ‘Playback settings’, make sure the highest video quality is selected — you can also disable the automatic playing of the next episode. On the app, Netflix also has an option in the settings to help conserve data when watching on mobile away from Wi-Fi.
Looking for new things to watch can be a bit of a pain, but there are a few websites to help out. Justwatch.com makes it easy to search for Netflix (and other streaming service) shows with a bunch of filters. Whatsonnetflix
australia.com performs the same task, just for Netflix AU only, and has a handy mobile app.
Stan
With an impressive array of movies, and an ever growing number of TV shows, many streamers choose to have both Stan and Netflix, or alternate the two. Stan also tends to have the shows or movies Netflix doesn’t, so the two complement each other well.
PLAYBACK
While supported on most new TVs and media players, as well as Android and iOS devices and Windows 10, Stan does have a few gaps when it comes to playback devices. Before you get started, it’s well worth checking out the compatibility list in the help file ( goo.gl/
p1DnFe) and seeing if you device is supported.
RATING SHOWS AND FINDING CONTENT
Unlike Netflix, Stan does not have a rating system and won’t recommend shows based on your viewing habits. For the lazy among us, that’s a right pain, and a little actual effort is needed to find new shows. Since the available shows are always changing, there isn’t a central list from Stan either — you just have to search and hope, or browse through the categories. Fortunately, third-party websites can help a little — JustWatch allows you to search Stan shows with a bunch of extra filters to help narrow down content. Finder.com.au and
comparetv.com.au also have lists of Stan shows and movies.
STAN PLANS
Picking the right plan is an important part of getting the most out of the streaming service. It’s kind of a complex lineup: starting at $10 a month lets you watch on a single screen in SD quality, and only downloads to one device. $12 a month gives you HD quality, and the ability to watch on three screens at a time, and downloads to three devices. For $15 a month, Stan gives up to 4K resolution, and the ability to watch on four screens, and download shows to five different devices. Stan doesn’t have a
speed test service, so try an option such as
ozspeedtest.com. Stan recommends 3Mbps for SD, 4.5Mbps for 720p, 7.5Mbps for 1080p and 15Mbps or better for 4K.
PROFILES
Without a rating system, profiles are less useful, but still worth setting up. Profiles are created and managed by logging into your account in a web browser, and navigating to ‘Manage Account > Profiles’. Creating individual accounts allows each separate watcher to create their own watch lists, and viewing history. But more importantly, you can create a Kids account that has no adult content. Alternatively, there is also an option to restrict an account by classification, with PG, M, MA15+ and R18+ options. When creating more than one profile, Stan prompts you to set a PIN, which stops anyone using the other accounts from accessing or changing the profile settings.
OFFLINE DOWNLOADS
For watching on the go, Stan allows users to download content — though only to Android and iOS devices via the app. Individual movies and TV shows will have a download button if the option is available. Download quality (and, therefore, file size) is set separately, in App Settings, while downloads are managed under the menu option, My Downloads.
Other streaming and catch-up services
As great as streaming-only providers such as Netflix and Stan are, there is still loads of excellent content on free to air. Even better, most of them have online ‘catch-up’ services that allow you to stream the shows you missed. Other options combine multiple channel catch-up services into one. Catch-up services don’t generally allow you to download content for later offline viewing. Rather than a monthly subscription, the services are free, but typically include unskippable advertising. Depending on the service, they also can have limited support for older TVs or media players.
FREEVIEW WWW.FREEVIEW.COM.AU
Combining a range of catch-up services into one, Freeview is one of the easiest ways to stay on top of content. It’s available as an iOS and Android app for just streaming, or through your recent TV or PVR for Freeview Plus that combines free-to-air and streaming. As the name suggests, it’s totally free (though has ads), and allows live streaming of freeto-air, as well as catch-up content. Using the app and a compatible TV with casting (or a Chromecast), you can watch free-to-air on your TV, via streaming. Freeview covers ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten, as well as the associated digital channels.
ABC IVIEW IVIEW.ABC.NET.AU
A great way to stay ahead of ABC content, iview has live streaming of existing ABC channels, as well as other content. You can search for a specific program, or browse by category. iview is available via the web, Android and iOS app, some late model TVs and PVRs, as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
SBS ON DEMAND SBS.COM.AU/ONDEMAND
With loads of classic SBS content, such as documentaries and foreign films, SBS On Demand is well worth a look. It also has some more mainstream content, such as Brooklyn Nine Nine. SBS On Demand is watchable via a web browser, iOS and Android app, as well as most late model TVs, PVRs and game consoles.
PLUS7 AU.TV.YAHOO.COM/PLUS7
Channel 7’s catch-up service let’s you watch all your favourite free-to-air shows on the schedule you choose. It also has a range of everchanging content not available via free-to-air. Plus7 is totally free, but includes unskippable advertisements during the streaming. The service is available via a web browser, iOS and Android app, as well as most late model TVs, PVRs and game consoles.
9NOW 9NOW.COM.AU
After a mandatory sign up, 9Now gives full access to the Channel 9 free-to-air content (including digital channels), as well as a range of other shows. It does include a recommendation system, and will try to target ads towards your interests. 9Now makes it easy to search or browse content, and has a decent amount of old classic shows available. 9Now is available via a web browser, some late model TV or PVR, iOS or Android app, Apple TV and gaming consoles.
TENPLAY TENPLAY.COM.AU
TENPlay covers all the Channel 10 catch-up content you crave, but doesn’t stream all the live TV channels. You don’t have to sign up to watch, but doing so gives a few extra personalisation options such as reminders. The TENPlay options for streaming are a little more limited than the competition, but include web browsers, some TVs, and its Android, iOS and Windows 10 apps.